1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adapter for use in adapting an easily replaceable rubber gasket or splash guard of one disposal embodiment for accommodation in another disposal embodiment.
2. Prior Art
Ninety percent of the garbage disposal market is covered by two manufacturers. The largest selling disposal is sold under the mark IN-SINK-ERATOR sold by Emerson Electric Company, St. Louis, Mo. (herein referred to as IN-SINK-ERATOR). The next largest selling disposal is sold under the mark WHIRLAWAY sold by White Consolidated, Cleveland, Ohio (hereinafter referred to as WHIRLAWAY).
Heretofore, when the rubber gasket or splash guard of an IN-SINK-ERATOR disposal unit becomes worn out, it has been necessary to disassemble the plumbing and the disposal unit for replacing the gasket, the gasket of this embodiment not only serving as a splash guard but also as a seal between a sink flange and a body of the disposal unit.
On the other hand, the WHIRLAWAY embodiment includes a drop in splash guard which is merely pushed into the neck of the sink flange from above. However, the splash guard of the WHIRLAWAY embodiment is of a diameter smaller than the sink flange of the IN-SINK-ERATOR, thus being incapable of being fixed in position within the sink flange of the IN-SINK-ERATOR embodiment.
As will be described in greater detail below, the disposal adapter of the present invention eliminates the need to take the IN-SINK-ERATOR embodiment apart, by accommodating fixing of the easily replaceable rubber gasket or splash guard and top plug from the WHIRLAWAY embodiment, sold by White Consolidated, Cleveland, Ohio, within the sink flange neck of the IN-SINK-ERATOR embodiment.
According to the invention there is provided an adapter for use in adapting a drop in splash guard to fit into a sink flange neck of a disposal unit which is larger than the splash guard to ensure a snug fit therein; the adapter comprising a seating ring within which the splash guard is secured, with the seating ring being sized to snugly be retained in an appropriate position within the larger sink flange neck.